KR-3 is a five-piece original psychedelic jam rock band from Wheeling that takes its name from the Philip K. Dick science-fiction novel, Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said. The band is making a name for itself with its own special brand of psychedelic rock and raging guitar solos.

The current band members got together in late 2012 with the lineup of Tim Boyd on vocals and guitar; Shane Lundy on guitar; Travis Hoard on saxophone, keyboards, and vocals; Ian Varlas on bass; and Steve Fullerton on drums. Since then the band’s popularity has grown exponentially. They play gigs in West Virginia and all across the East Coast, sharing the stage with artists such as Tim Reynolds, The Pimps of Joytime, and Larry Keel and Natural Bridge. “It’s been pretty incredible to expect little or no recognition, then be playing along with such big acts within the first year,” says Shane.

Ranked number five on Reverb Nation jam band charts, KR-3 is proud of its unique sound. “It’s somewhere between a classic psychedelic approach a la ’60s Pink Floyd and modern improvisational theory,” Tim says. Shane adds, “We are into using improvisation and taking risks to make the music that we like to hear.” The latest album Fractures and Sparks (2013) does all that and more.

KR-3 was one of the first bands in the region to do a live silent disco. Silent discos occur at festivals late at night when there is a noise ordinance in the local town. People in the crowd wear headphones that a DJ controls from a laptop, but KR-3 took silent disco to a new level by trying it with a live band. They have done live silent disco events at a number of festivals in the past year.

Being from West Virginia has caused the band to branch out of their local area. “Traveling helped teach us how to live together not just as a band, but as a family,” Shane says. But the members say they would love to see the music scene revitalized back home. “We’re working hard to improve the music scene in northern West Virginia, bringing bands like Fletcher’s Grove to Wheeling,” Tim says. The band is currently working on a new album, which they will promote on the road in summer 2014.

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